Attacks on humanitarian workers

Humanitarian aid workers belonging to United Nations organisations, PVOs / NGOs or the Red Cross / Red Crescent have traditionally enjoyed both international legal protection, and de facto immunity from attack by belligerent parties. However, attacks on humanitarian workers have occasionally occurred, and became more frequent since the 1990s and 2000s. In 2012 there were 167 incidents of major violence against aid workers[1] and in 2013 there were 474 attacks.[2] This is attributed to a number of factors, including the increasing number of humanitarian workers deployed, the increasingly unstable environments in which they work, and the erosion of the perception of neutrality and independence. In 2012, road travel was seen to be most dangerous and kidnappings of aid workers have quadrupled in the decade with more aid workers victims of kidnapping than any other form of attack.[1] ICRC promotes a framework for Neutral Independent Humanitarian Action (NIHA) to enable differentiated role understanding.

The legal basis for protection of humanitarian workers in armed conflicts is contained in the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the related Protocols I and II of 1977. These treaties describe the category of civilians and outline the rights and obligations of non-combatants during armed conflicts. These rights include the right to be treated humanely; to have access to food, water, shelter, medical treatment, and communications; to be free from violence to life and person, hostage taking, and humiliating or degrading treatment; and the prohibition against collective punishment or imprisonment. Non-combatants include citizens and nationals of countries that are not party to the conflict.

While the Geneva Conventions guarantee protection for humanitarian workers, they do not guarantee access of humanitarian workers to affected areas: governments or occupying forces may, if they wish, ban a relief agency from working in their area. Médecins Sans Frontières was created in 1971 with the express purpose of ignoring this restriction, by providing assistance to populations affected by the Biafran civil war despite the prohibitions of the government of Nigeria.

In addition, the Geneva Conventions do not require that parties to the conflict guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers. The Conventions prohibit combatants from attacking non-combatants, and they require occupying forces to maintain general order. However, the Conventions do not require that combating parties provide security escorts, for example, when other factions threaten the safety of non-combatants operating in their area.

In 2003, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1502 giving greater protection to humanitarian workers and treating attacks on them as a war crime.

Motives

The method of targeting foreigners through suicide bombings, IEDs and kidnappings (often closely associated with criminal and political actors) are strong evidence of at least some political motivations against aid workers.[3] It is very hard often to precisely ascertain a motive; for instance, in 55% of the incidents recorded by the AWSD in 2008, the motive was described as ‘undetermined’.[3] However, of those that were determined, political motivations have increased (29% of the determined total in 2003 to 49% in 2008) relative to economic motivations, or when the victim’s status as an aid worker was only incidental.[3] Afghanistan, as one of the most dangerous countries for humanitarian workers to operate in is influential in this changing dynamic; in 2007 61% of incidents were carried out by criminals and 39% by political opposition groups, but in 2008, 65% of incidents were the work of armed opposition groups.[3]

Aid workers can be targeted for political reasons both directly and by association.[3] Sometimes the humanitarian organisation may be targeted for something that it has done or a statement it has made, or simply for the delivery of aid to a population, to whom others do not wish aid to reach.[3] It can also be targeted as a result of being associated as an entity collaborating with the 'enemy' (a government, rebel group or foreign power).[3] The dangers of being associated with specific governments or armed forces has further increased the determination of aid workers to be seen as separate, independent and neutral politically.[3] However, evidence shows that this has little impact and instead that western aid agencies are perceived as an intrinsic part of the western 'agenda' and not merely associated with it.[3] In the case of Afghanistan, with the notable exception of the International Committee of the Red Cross, it has been surmised that locals no longer make distinctions (as they once did) between organisations, e.g. those were working with the coalition force’s Provincial Reconstruction Teams and those that did not.[3] In remote areas, they sometimes represent the only accessible western target.[3] Although empirical studies on aid worker insecurity have been scarce, two have been conducted in Afghanistan. Watts (2004)[4] did not find evidence indicating heightened aid worker insecurity in provinces where the US military was present. Similarly, Mitchell (2015)[5] was unable to discover a relationship between attacks against NGOs and their proximity to the US military or US-led PRTs respectively; however, his study did reveal that aid workers were more likely to encounter a greater number of security incidents in provinces with PRTs not led by the US.

List of attacks on humanitarian workers

A full list of major incidents, from 1997–present, of violence against aid workers can be found at Humanitarian Outcomes' Aid Worker Security Database.

1993

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2013

2014

2015

2016

See also

References

  1. 1 2 https://aidworkersecurity.org/sites/default/files/AidWorkerSecurityReport_2013_web.pdf
  2. http://reliefweb.int/report/world/attacks-humanitarian-aid-workers-five-new-findings
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Abby Stoddard, Adele Harmer and Victoria DiDomenico (2009) Providing Aid in Insecure Environments: Trends in violence against aid workers and the operational response (2009 Update) Archived April 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Overseas Development Institute
  4. Watts, Clinton. 2004. Indicators of NGO security in Afghanistan. West Point: United States Military Academy, The Combating Terrorism Center.
  5. Mitchell, David (2015). "Blurred Lines? Provincial Reconstruction Teams and NGO Insecurity in Afghanistan, 2010–2011". Stability: International Journal of Security & Development. 4 (1): 1–18. doi:10.5334/sta.ev. Art. 9.
  6. Sheik, Gutierrez, et al., British Medical Journal 2000;321:166–8
  7. Maier, Karl (January 4, 1993). "Unicef quits town after British aid man killed". The Independent. London.
  8. Mdlongwa, Francis (February 23, 1993). "Somali gunmen murder Irish nurse". The Independent. London.
  9. The Christine Witcutt Memorial Fund, Christine Witcutt (1941–1993), retrieved 2009-07-30
  10. BBC News (September 15, 2001), Centre marks aid worker's memory, retrieved 2009-07-30
  11. Timeline for Former Yugoslavia June 1991 to August 1997 (PDF), retrieved 2009-07-30
  12. Toomer, Kevin (2007), Aid Worker Fatalities Data, archived from the original on 2009-02-21, retrieved 2009-07-30
  13. Christian Jennings, Red Cross / Red Crescent Emblem, archived from the original on 2009-07-15, retrieved 2009-07-30
  14. http://fex.ennonline.net/8/wfp
  15. http://www.msf.org/article/arjan-erkel-free-607-days-kidnapped
  16. "Swiss ICRC delegate murdered". www.irinnews.org. IRIN. 28 March 2003. Retrieved 8 March 2016. Ricardo Munguia, a Swiss citizen of Salvadorian origin was travelling with Afghan colleagues on an assignment to improve the water supply to the district. He was shot in cold blood on Thursday by a group of unidentified assailants who stopped the vehicles transporting them...the assailants had shot the 39-year-old water and habitat engineer in the head and burned one car, warning two Afghans accompanying him not to work for foreigners...Asked what action ICRC was taking, Bouvier explained that 'for the time being, the ICRC has decided to temporarily freeze all field trips in Afghanistan, calling all staff to the main delegation’s offices.'
  17. Yemen Reports Kidnapping of 9 Foreigners
  18. The New York Times – Two Chechen Aid Workers Are Killed
  19. Volunteer aid worker murdered in Zanzibar
  20. "UN chief condemns Kabul killings". BBC News. October 28, 2009.
  21. Siddique, Haroon (September 22, 2010). "Gaza flotilla,Israel (News),Palestinian territories (News),Gaza,World news,United Nations (News)". The Guardian. London.
  22. "Activists describe Israeli raid on Gaza aid convoy". BBC News. June 3, 2010.
  23. [D+C article 10/2010: Acceptance of humanitarian aid agencies no longer self-evident "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-02-22. Retrieved 2010-10-26.]
  24. "Abuja attack: Car bomb hits Nigeria UN building". BBC News. August 26, 2011.
  25. "3 humanitarian workers killed in Somalia - CNN.com". CNN. December 23, 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-03-07.
  26. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/13/aid-workers-kidnapped-kenyan-camp
  27. "Militants gun down Finnish aid workers in Afghanistan". Afghanistan Sun. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  28. 1 2 Robinson, Nick (3 September 2014). "British hostage: PM says UK will not be 'cowed' by threats". BBC News. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  29. Holmes, Oliver (14 September 2014). "Islamic State video purports to show beheading of UK hostage David Haines". Reuters. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  30. =MacAskill, Andrew (3 October 2015). "U.S. military air strike may have hit MSF hospital in Afghan city". Reuters. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  31. "Syria: Attack on humanitarian convoy is an attack on humanity". 20 September 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016..
  32. http://www.unicef.org/media/media_92039.html
  33. http://www.thenational.ae/uae/five-emiratis-killed-in-afghanistan-attack
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